Patterning colloidal crystals by lift-up soft lithography

A simple soft lithography method that could be flexibly used to pattern the obtained colloidal crystals using the lift-up process was developed. This method also offers an effective route for creating a two dimensional colloidal crystal film on the poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamp. It was observed that the PDMS stamp could be used as the ink and be transferred to other substrates using microcontact printing. The results suggest that this technique has provided a complementary strategy to other existing patterning methods and will open new ways to design and fabricate colloidal crystal-based devices.